Environmental Stewardship Grants Awarded $40K

Six Funded Projects Will Improve Trails and Wilderness Education

Six environmental stewardship projects are moving forward this year thanks to $40,000 of grant money generated by the Bay Treasure Chest and awarded to volunteer community groups through the Five Bridges Wilderness Heritage Trust’s Environmental Stewardship Grants Program.

$5,000 Nine Mile River Bridge installation – when completed the bridge will allow safe passage across the Nine Mile River to all trail users of the Old Coach Road.

$3,400 Signage Project – new signage across 22 km of managed trail passing through the Wilderness Protected Area to enhance safety and way-finding for users of the Old Halifax Road and the Old Coach Road.

$8,000 Trail Improvement – create new trail bed suitable for hikers and cyclists to connect the St. Margaret’s Bay Rails to Trails to the parking and picnic area of Lewis Lake Provincial Park.

$8,000 Rebuilding of retaining wall and causeway improvement at the Five Island Lake bridge to prevent washouts and make the BLT Trail safer.

This is the first time that the Trust has awarded environmental stewardship grants to volunteer community groups on an open, competitive basis.

To ensure fairness and accountability in the administration of the awards, the Trust partnered with the Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Coalition which managed the application review process and will monitor the progress of each project.

“These projects perfectly align with the goals of the Trust, so we are happy to pay the bills for these community groups to proceed with the important work of enhancing our natural spaces and teaching more people about how to maintain them.” says Harry Ward, Trust Board Chair.

The Trust extends congratulations and best wishes to each of the grant recipients for their valuable contributions to environmental stewardship.

If you would like to support the Trust in its’ work preserving and protecting the wilderness areas of the Chebucto Peninsula, donations may be processed through the website.